Press Release

LAS VEGAS (Jan. 10, 2011) — Stanley H. Breitbard of Los Angeles has received the first Personal Financial Planning Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants for his pioneering work developing the practice area in the CPA profession and for his contributions to improving financial literacy across the country.

Stu Kessler, former AICPA chair, presented the award at the Institute’s 2011 Advanced Personal Financial Planning Conference in Las Vegas. The AICPA, which this year celebrates the 25th anniversary of its personal financial planning section, created the award to recognize exemplary contributions to the accounting profession and the Institute in this practice area. Recipients must have worked in personal financial planning for at least 25 years and have contributed to the AICPA for at least 15. They must have unquestioned integrity and professionalism and exemplify the personal, ethical and professional characteristics of the model CPA financial advisor.

“Stan, who is known as the father of financial planning, literally created the mold for CPA financial planning and has worked with unwavering passion the past 25 years to make CPA financial planners the premier advisors in this field,” said James Metzler, AICPA vice president for small firm interests. “No one is more deserving of the first personal financial planning lifetime achievement award. Stan’s contributions to both the practice and the CPA profession truly are immeasurable.”

Breitbard served as first chairman of the AICPA’s Personal Financial Planning Division’s executive committee and in 1993 received the division’s Distinguished Service Award for his dedication to the profession. He has served on numerous committees through the years, most recently as a member of the AICPA’s National Financial Literacy Commission.

He built his career at PriceWaterhouse, becoming partner in 1974 and serving as national director of personal financial services from 1983 to 1994. He co-authored The Pricewaterhouse Book of Personal Financial Planning in 1988 and The Price Waterhouse Personal Financial Adviser in 1995. He has spoken on the topic of personal financial planning at numerous national conferences and lectured at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Los Angeles. In retirement he co-founded the California Jump$tart Coalition, a nonprofit group that focuses on kindergarten-through-12th-grade personal finance education in the state.

A native of San Diego, Breitbard holds an undergraduate degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA in Accounting, also from Berkeley. He is licensed as a CPA in California and New York and holds the Personal Financial Specialist credential from the AICPA. Breitbard lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Ronda. They have three adult children and five grandchildren.